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story:obsidian_box

Scroll VI - The Obsidian Box

Recorded by Scribe Delrus as collected by personal journals of the ordeal and from official documentation from Bakram Assam of the Royal Constabulary force in Dar’Amkul, Tertius the 3rd , Merindaros, year 943 7th age.

These events take place during the first days of Rimrost until Primus the 1st of Shadrun, year 897 7th age.

This scroll details the events after the wedding of Princess Aeliona. The Greyslayers enjoyed the fame they had received in Valishdal and stayed in the palace of the King and Queen as honored guests..

While there, Mr. Rasmussen, a demon of considerable power, approached Dusky. He called in one of his two major favors owed by Dusky and charged Dusky with collecting an Obsidian box. The box was currently in the possession of a dragonborn merchant by the name of Rakran Arctos who lived in Dar’Amkul.

The Greyslayers agreed to help Dusky accomplish his goals, knowing that by himself he would be unable to survive. The Greyslayers then hired an airship and smuggled themselves aboard, travelling for two weeks to arrive in Dar’Amkul.

Upon meeting with Rakran Arctos they came to an agreement and purchased the Obsidian box, but before they were able to complete the transaction a shadowed man came from the darkness, killing Rakran and escaping with the box. The Greyslayers chased the man down, eventually capturing him in the markets of Dar’Amkul, but not without alerting the city guard that the Butchers of Izeh had arrived into their city.

The man they captured was Massir the Shadow, a known and accomplished tabaxi thief, who had been hired by the Collector to retrieve the box. The Greyslayers learned that the Collector was planning on selling the box in an auction that would bring a bidding war between Xanatharius of the Conclave of Eskardia and Priestess Sadiaa of the Golden Chain cult.

Knowing they were over their heads and in a hostile city, the Greyslayers spent time making up costumes and then were able to deftly slip past the guards at the city docks, escaping by boat to the closest port of call, Port Riston of Azhim, which happened to be the hometown of Dusky.

When they arrived in Riston, Dusky found out from his father that the family thought he had been killed when his Grand Kestrel was eaten by a Grey Worm in the Wastes. They had performed a small funeral and his father had given his house to his brother Rictus. His father then learned that Dusky was fleeing Dar’Amkul and had been chased by Priestess Sadiaa. His father told him he could win his house back if he found out what the priestess was doing. The Greyslayers soon received a missive from Priestess Sadiaa.

“Come to a warehouse at the edge of town and make a deal with her, or she would murder the ones Dusky loved.”

Dusky arrived at the warehouse and negotiated in good faith. Unfortunately, Priestess Sadiaa was power hungry and attempted to ambush and murder Dusky and the Greyslayers. The warehouse was a lavender shipping facility, but the Greyslayers soon found out that the boxes of lavender were filled with demons instead of just lavender.

After getting the box back from the Priestess the Greyslayers retreated out of the warehouse, then burned it to the ground. Although this was a blow to the Priestess, it did not kill her.

Dusky then asked his fathers spy network for help. They were able to track the Priestess down to her small villa. His father said he would block the roads in and out, but the actual deed of dealing with her was up to Dusky.

The Greyslayers assaulted the villa by Thresh baking addictive sedative brownies, and swiftly made their way to the basement. They discover that Priestess Sadiaa was a worshipper of Mazrykul, the Maker of Chains, a powerful demon that was hellbent on destroying Iniket and all her spawn. Furthermore, they discovered that Priestess Sadiaa was sacrificing slaves to produce demons, then packing them in House Iniket crates of lavender and shipping them to multiple ports across the globe.

In an epic battle of wizardry, the Greyslayers killed the Priestess and put an end to her plans.

When they arrived back at the house of Iniket, they discover that Bakram Assam, a royal investigator for Dar’Amkul, had tracked them back to Riston and was asking for an audience with the Greyslayers. Atmat Fire loft, Dusky’s father, agreed to the audience, and made the Greyslayers talk to the Bakram.

After a lengthy investigation, Bakram Assam agreed with the Greyslayers, that they had not assassinated Rakran Arctos, and that they had discovered evidence that Priestess Sadiaa was performing illegal magic in Dar’Amkul. After leaving Riston Bakram Assam was able to arrest and persecute the Golden Chain back in Dar’Amkul, stopping that demon worship in his home city.

Although the box was properly in Dusky’s control, he could not complete his contract for Mr. Rasmussen until the full moons on Primus the 1st of Shadrun, when Razrahim would be full and the box could be fully opened. Dusky knew that opening the box would release the Chain Demon locked inside, and that the demon would seek him and any nearby spawn of Iniket’s blood.

Alston came up with a grand plan of taking the demon down at the local blood sport arena and got into contact with Brandus Markaos of the Raston and Beherners’s Trading House. Brandus agreed to set up the show and the Greyslayers would get a cut of the profits.

Alston also reached out to several of his contacts and bought himself some mercenary groups that had their own Ballistas. Discovering that the demon could be more readily damaged by silvered weapons, he bought a special alchemical goop that could be slathered on the tips of the Ballista bolts to make them more deadly to the demon.

Cassandra and her Red Boars, an elite military unit that she commanded, arrived in Riston to assist.

On the night of the full Razrahim, Alston put on an illusionary show while Glimmer played to the crowd. Then Dusky opened the box and released the demon onto the world.

It was a difficult fight but show worthy. The Chain Demon gathered magical chains that attacked the Greyslayers and summoned additional demon allies. Thresh was wrapped up by the demon and taken into the skies. Even though he was wrapped up, he repeatedly attacked the demon, getting dragged through the sky and suffered incredible injuries but continued his assault on the demon. Clover summoned a moonbeam from the sky that burned the attacking demons that were summoned by the Chain Demon, while Tenzijen fought off the magical chains that wrapped themselves around Dusky.

Dusky went down during the battle and while bleeding out on the ground it looked like his end was near. The Demon, seeing his injuries, flew down to finish Dusky off. At the last second, Glimmer cast a magical spell, wrapping her power around the Demon and making him think that everyone around him was an enemy. Unable to discern who among the enemies was Dusky, the Demon lashed out, destroying two of his allies, then sought cover behind a wall.

Clover healed Dusky just enough for him to stand back up. Barely able to stand, blood flowing from his wounds, Dusky rounded the corner to see the Chain demon. Shouting at the top of his lungs he screamed “This is for House Iniket!” and blasted the Demon with the last of his strength, ripping a massive hole in the chain demons’ heart.

The Demon died to the screams of a crowd as Dusky smiled over the corpse, his contract with Mr. Rasmussen fulfilled.

Mr. Rasmussen approached the Greyslayers before anyone else could approach. He took the box from Dusky, removed the bone and chain phylactery that held the Chain Demons soul, and put inside the box the small black jewel that he called the “The Black Heart of Na’Az’Karumin”. He then took the Chain Demons phylactery and fed it to the Obsidian box, forever killing the demon and adding its strength to the box. Afterwards, he handed the box back to Dusky and told him to take good care of it.


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story/obsidian_box.txt · Last modified: 2021/08/15 16:47 by clover